Thermography: A Test of Prevention…and Screening

When I interviewed American Cancer Society’s Dr. Otis Brawley in 2016, he said, “I would love to see even more prevention…” The breast cancer (BC) screening tool of thermography is capable of just that. Let’s see why.

Thermography is a U.S. FDA-approved adjunctive BC screening tool to mammography — as are ultrasound and MRI. But mammography is the only test that is considered a “primary screening tool,” therefore you MUST get a mammogram before any other tool in order for your adjunctive test to be (hopefully) covered by insurance — with very few exceptions.

Also, thermography differs in that it is a test of physiology vs. mammography, ultrasound and MRI which are all tests of anatomy. In other words, a thermogram can see what’s going on in the breast physiologically vs. the other tests merely detecting tumors and sometimes calcifications (which can be a sign of a tumor). And remember that it takes years for a tumor to form (2 to 10 years!) so it’s already been in the breast for a while by the time a mammogram detects it.

How it works: Thermography is a procedure that uses a special infrared camera to sense heat coming from inflammation in the breast. The National Cancer Institute says that “Tumors can cause temperature changes that may show up on the thermogram.” If there is a temperature difference between the two breasts, there is a chance that the woman has a problem in the “hotter” breast.

But the great thing about thermography is that it is a NON-radiative, NON-invasive and painless test! The patient simply changes positions in front of the camera (the technician will tell you how to do this) and then photos are taken. It doesn’t take long and I love that (again) there’s NO PAIN and NO RADIATION.

Cindy Stillwell Chronister, Owner of “Core Health Thermography and Wellness” in Troy, VA, says, “It really is as easy as having your picture taken with a digital camera.”

Dr. Galina Migalko of the “Universal Medical Imaging Group” in Burbank, CA, says, “[Thermography is] the only test — the only test! — which can show us inflammation…
lymphatic congestion, poor circulation, acute or chronic physiological condition.”

Why does all that matter? Because cancer is an inflammatory condition. Therefore, if you can pick up the inflammation in your breast early, you can change your lifestyle thus turn around the inflammation and thus avoid tumor formation!  This is why Dr. Migalko calls thermography “a test of prevention.”

When I arranged for Dr. Migalko to do a presentation for Dr. Brawley, he understood this and supported the idea of the government conducting a clinical trial of this device. He also saw the need to couple it with a test of anatomy such as ultrasound — kind of a one-two punch so that nothing is missed in the breast. (I will discuss this protocol of thermography and ultrasound in an upcoming blog.)

Many naysayers of thermography say that it hasn’t been studied: That’s simply false. It has been studied all over the world — some 800 studies — over 30 years time with over 300,000 participants, some women’s outcomes followed for 12 years. The results were impressive, some ending in 90% accuracy, which surpasses mammography results in women with dense breasts. Yet, while the FDA has approved thermography as an adjunct to mammography, it has not regulated thermography facilities. Nor has insurance agreed to pay for it. This needs to change.

That said, the U.S. conducted one huge BC screening study in the 1970s comparing thermography to  mammography. The problem was that the radiologists had no idea how to conduct thermograms so they were quickly thrown out of the study and thermography was declared suboptimal. This unfortunate incident has left thermography scarred ever since. This needs to change and a new study should be conducted in the U.S.

A word of caution: In order for a woman to get a good thermogram she needs to find a facility which has 1) a good camera and software; 2) a good camera operator; and 3) a good interpreter. Here is a website where you can find someone in your state that is recommended by the gentlemen (Dr. Amalu) who interprets my results from the “Core Health” facility: http://www.breastthermography.com/find-a-center.htm

On a personal note: Dr. Migalko conducted a thermogram and ultrasound on me at her facility for footage in my film “bOObs” and — surprisingly to me! — found a temperature difference between my breasts. I quickly changed my lifestyle (replaced medications with supplements, changed diet to non-GMO, dropped 15 pounds, etc.) and a year later my thermogram showed the inflammation had settled down — Whew!!  This is why I love thermograms so much.

Let’s work to change the paradigm.  Together we are strong, ladies!

Blog at you soon, thanks for reading and helping to spread the word! (Please see the “share” links below).

Stay healthy,

Megan

Megan Smith, M.S.
Director, bOObs: The War on Women’s Breasts

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